Commutating electric motor.



R. D. MERSHON. GOMMUTATING ELECTRIC MOTOR.

PATBNTED MAY 14, 1907.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 15. I904.

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PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

R. D. M'ERSHON.

GOMMUTATING BLEGTRIG MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED T13R15. 1904.

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339. 853,464. PATEN'TED MAY 14, 1907. R. D. MERSHUN. GOM MUTATING ELECTRIC MQTGR.

APPLICATION rum FEB.15,1504.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

COMMUTATI NG ELECTRIC MOTOR- Patented May 14, 1907.

' Application filed Februiirylfi, 1904. Serial No. 193.548-

To all whom (It inn/y concern Be it known that I, RALPH D. MERSHON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in Commutating Electric Motors of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a art of the same. "My invention relhtes more particularly to alternating current motors of the commutating type, both series, and repulsion, and has for its object to provide such a motor in which the number of magnetic oles in both elements, may be varied, so t at the 'power factor of the motor, or the torque per ampere, may be maintained equal .to, or above, a certain value, throughout the range of speed over which the motor is to be operated.

Another object of the invention is to prov-ide means for short-clrcuiting the winding or windings .ol one of the elements to trans form the motor into one of, the induction type, and a still-further object is to provide means for producing a desired magnetic fluX distribution in the 'motor.

As is well known to those skilled inthe art, the power factor in a commutating motor is eater, for a given number of poles, the ig'her its speed of rotation is in precentage of synchronous speed for such number of poles. Or, stated dilierently, the torque per ampere is greater for a given speed, other things being equal, the greater the number when operating at low of poles. Hence,

the number of poles speeds, by making greater and thus making the synchronous speedof the motor lower, the power factor ma be increased. The actual. speed at which the motor is running is therefore a higher percentage of synchronous speed, and the power factor is accordingly greater. The efficiencyof the motor, however, is less than with a smaller number of poles, for well understood reasons. Hence it is desirable to operate with a small number of poles. But in this case, if the motor be started with the small number of poles, the power factor may be too low, because the actual speed is so low in com arison with the synchronous speed. I there ore propose, in operating such a mo tor, to run 1t with a relatively large number of poles at the low speed or speeds, thereb securing ahigh ower factor, though wit some loss of efiiclency;

and, when the speed I greater number of poles the efficiency of .speeds.

.be called its normal number,

number of poles at the same require, per unit of torque, peres exceeding the limit set.

that less current has increased to such an extentthat its rati to synchronism for a smaller number of poles 15 such that the power factor with such number of ]poles would not drop .below a given limit, t e number of poles is reduced to that number; the power factor will therefore be as high. as needed or desired, while at the same time the losses which occurred with the will he reduced and the motor correspondingly increased. It is obvious that this procedure may be-repeated as often as desired, throughout any range of speed. Considering the matter from the standpoint of torque instead of the power factor, by this method a given .torque may be maintained throughout the motors range of speed with a less number of amperes per unit of torque than would be required if a reater number of poles were not used with the lower speed or For example, if the motor be started with a small number ofpoles, which might a relatively high current will be required to produce'the necessary torque. But if a large number of poles be used in startin the same torque may be developed with ess current. The motor would therefore be allowed to run with this number of poles until the speed is such that to produce the same torque with a smaller speed would not a number of am- The number of poles may then be reduced, thus maintaining the same torque with the same or not much greater current, while at the same time increasing the efficiency of themotor by reducing the losses incident to the greater number of poles. It will therefore be seen has been required to bring the motor up to the desired speed with the normal number of poles than would-"have been required if-the motor had been started with its normal number of poles. It should be'understood, however, that by less current I mean less current from the supply circuit to the transformer from which the m0- tor itself gets its current. The current to the motor-may be the same or the apparent watts will be ess, owin to t e difference in voltage on the motor si e of the transformer. The above general explanation will serve.

. to indicate the fundamental principle of my method. I havedevised certain novel apparatus in which the method mentioned may be eater, althou h IIO practiced, and the present inventiim therefore consists of the novel features and combinations l'lereinattcr d rib d, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings: Figure l rem'esents diagrammatically a series motor in which the number of poles may be made either two or four. Fig. 2 is a diagram. showing a repulsion motor arranged to run with two or four poles. Fig. 3 is adiagram, show ing a repulsion motor with two or four poles, provided with means for transforming it into an induction. motor, and also provided with means whereby a desired flux distribution in the primary maybe produced.

In the various figures, the stationary element is indicated by F, and the rotating element by-A. They are both shown with uni form ring windings, but it should be understood that the nature of the winding, whether ring, drum, uniformly o1 non-uniformly distributed, or other, is immaterial, so long as it will lend itself to change in -poles. Each element is shown as having a single winding, but it should be understood that either or both may have two or more wimlings, as for example, one winding for each number of poles at which the motor is to be operated. Likewise the form of the field and armature is immaterial, whether with salient poles or not, if the number of poles may be varied in hot h. For simplicity in the diagrams, the commutator in each figure is shown as being in and part of the winding, a construction sometimes used in direct current machines. In Figs. 3. and 2 the leads to the field are indicated by l, 1 -1 brought out to contacts I. From the commutator brushes a, b, 0, leads 1', 1", 1 are brought out to contacts t, and from brushes a, b, 0, leads 1*, 1*, 1 are carried to contacts The single phase source of current is indicat-ed at A controller is diagrammatically shown at C. By tracing the connections it will be seen that in the first posit-ion of the controller two poles will be produced in the field and in the armature. In thenext posi tion four poles will be produced in each. 'In all the figures the brushes are shown as always in contact with the commutator, .but each one may of course be raised when not in use. For instance, in and a are in use the others may be'raised, and conversely. Also,'c, (1, might be made to serve for Z), c, or 7), c, by shifting a, a to the proper points when the four-pole connec- 'tion is made. Similarly in Fig. 3. In Fig. 1 the brushes are shown at positions of no lead, that is, midway between poles. 'Inpractice they would he oil of these points an extent. usually slight, dependin the motor.

In operating the motors represented by Figs. 1 and :2, according to the method fully explained in my c o-pcndin ,z application bethe numb er of i and its load by causing the Figs. 1 and 2, when a 1 upon the design ob g I of speeds, and the fore mentioned, the maximum numbr-B poles is used for the low minimum for the higher speeds. Beginning. 1 or exam plc, with the maximum, (in the pres ent instance four), with this number oi p :les less current per unit of torque will be required to produce the desired torque than. would be the case if two poles were used in starting. When the speed with four poles has increased sul'liciently the number of poles may be reduced to two, whereupon the same torque is exerted, but with greater efficiency. The time of changing the number of poles will in practice depend upon several considerations. For example, the d-isigi'i of the machine will have a good. deal to do with it, as will also the voltage impressed on the motor. It will also depend upon the value of the power factor which it is desired to maintain. That is, ii a high power factor is required, the speed would generally be allowed to attain a greater percentage of synchronisin before changing, in order to make the existingspeed a higher percentage of synchronous speed for the new number of poles. In general it maybe said that the precise time of making the change would be determined by the operator, who can be guided by a Wattmeter, ammeter, or power factor indicator, or by his experience. The principle is the same in reducing the speed of the motor negative torque. Here the kinetic energy or inertia, stored in the moving mass or masses, will be transformed into electrical energy and delivered to the supply circuit for utilization by translating devices elsewhere on the line. Likewise the potential energy of the load, as in the case of a train descending a grade. It should therefore be understood that the invention may not only he used with increasing speeds, butmay be used equally well for braking or reducing the speed. 1

For reasons well understood by those skilled in the art, it is desirable that the E. M. F'.s in the coils of the armatur due to its rotation he of approximately the same iorm as the current flowing. This can be secured by producing the proper flux distribution in the primary or field. in my co-pending application, Serial No. 174,698, I have motor to exert a described and claimed broadly a method cl.-

producing any desired flux distribution, by

leading 1n the current or currents at a pl1irality of points per pole, which method may be employed here. F 1g. 3 illustrates a typical system arranged for practicing this method in connection with the present invcntion Two leads per pole are en'1plo \'cd.-

t of course a greater number may he need if desired. Asiully explained pending application"above mentioned, the flux distribution may be varied by varying the number of leads per pole also by varying in my co-' the distance between the same, or both. The motor illustrated in this figure is of the repulsion type, but it is obvious that the series 1 tags is changed, as well as the number of poles, when the controller 1s shifted. This is or- A dinarily desirable. If, however, it is desired to vary the voltage for any particular pole number (to increase or decrease the torque),

i this may be readily effected in a variety of well knowlrways. For example, one means for accomplishingit is indicated by the die grammatic rheost-at R Fig. 3. The sanie or any of the well known means may ofcourse be employed with the series motor when desired.

Instead of running the motor as a series or repulsion motor atthe higher speed, it'may be transformed at any time into an induction, motor by the simple expedient of shortcir.

culting the windings of the secondary or armature, as, for example, by the means illustrated in Fig. 3. Here a device 3 is adapted to make contacts with conductors connected with the armature windings at suitable points. In the figure the conductors are connected at eight points, though of course the number may be varied, as desired, generally the more the better. The short-circuiting switch may be located on the armature and o )crated in any convenient way, as by means oi a rod parallel with the shaft, or the shortcircuiting may be eflected in any other convenient manner. For instance, the shortcircuiting leads may be brought to slip rings and brushes outside of the motor and there sh.ortcircuited. In operating a motor provided with such a device it may at any time be operated as an induction motor, as before stated For instance, themachine may be run as a series or repulsion motor until it has reached a desired speed, as one approximating synchronism for an existing number of poles, then the armature may be short-cir; cuited as described, and the motor from there v on run as an induction'motor, its speed being varied by variations in the number of its poles. At any time the switch may be opened and the motor again operated as a series or repulsion machine. This furnishes in effect a convenient means for starting an induction motor, as will be readily understood. After a? speed. approximating synchronism for the maximum number of poles has been attained as a series or repulsion mo-.

tor, it may thereafter be operated as-an in-' duction motor, and its speed may then be increased by a simple commutation of its poles. In the machine illustrated I have shown pro vision for two numbers of poles, and therefore two speeds in the induction motor, but it is plain that the possible numbers of poles may be as many more as desired. In another co-pending application, Serial No. 190,440, 1- have described at length and claimed broadlya novel method of varying the speed of a mo tor by varying the numbers ofits poles in such a way that the torque,

positive or negative, which the motor can exertwith each new number of poles, at the speed existingafter the change has been com pleted, is suflicient to produce acceleration or retardation as the case maybe. This method may of course 'be' practiced with advantage .in this connection.

The motors can of course be reversed in the well knowjnway,-, and 1t-1s therefore not necessary to illustrate-means for. effecting the reversal. 'The seriesmotor can be reversed by reversing the relative connection of the armature and field, and the repulsion motor by shifting the brushes so that they have a lead of the same amount as before, but on the opposite side of the neutral point.

Having I claim is:

1. In a commutat-ing electric motor, the combination with the stationary and moving elements thereof, and a source of current, of means for producing a desired distribution of magnetic flux in one of the elements by feeding the current or currents thereto at a plurality of points per pole, and means for varying the number of poles, as set forth.

2. In a commutating electric motor, the combination with the stationary and moving elements thereof, and a source of current, of

means for varying the number of poles in both elements, and means for short-circuit,

ing the winding or windings in one of the elements, as set forth.

8. In a commutating electric motor, the combination with the stationary and moving elements thereof, and a source of current, of means for producing a desired distribution of magnetic flux in one of the elements by feeding-the current or currents thereto at a plurality of points per pole, means for varying the number of poles in. both elements, and means for short-circuiting the winding or windings of one of the elements, as set forth.

4. In a commutating electric motor, the

combination with the stationary and movingelements thereof, and a source of current, of

,means for producing a desired distribution of magnetic flux in oneof the elements by feeding the current or currents thereto at a plurality of points per pole, means for short-circuiting the winding or windings of the other element, and means for varying-the number of poles in the primary element, as set forth RALPH D. )IERSHON. Witnesses :d

A. E. hIAI IAN, S. S. DL'NIIAM.

now described my inventioinwhat Ice 

